Awareness and understanding of Lynch syndrome among patients with endometrial cancer
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Awareness and understanding of Lynch syndrome among patients with endometrial cancer

Hilary Debra Maxwell Gynae-oncology clinical nurse specialist, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Dorchester, England
Hannah Pierce Gynae-oncology subspecialty trainee, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Dorchester, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To be aware of national guidance recommending that all people with endometrial cancer should be tested for Lynch syndrome

  • To recognise that after a diagnosis of endometrial cancer, patients should be informed of their screening result for Lynch syndrome

  • To understand the importance of healthcare professionals providing patients with information about Lynch syndrome, and making clinical genetics referrals where appropriate

Lynch syndrome is an autosomal dominant inherited condition which predisposes individuals to developing certain cancers, including endometrial, colorectal and/or ovarian cancer. However, most people with Lynch syndrome are not aware that they have the condition. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends that all patients with endometrial cancer should be tested for Lynch syndrome and that healthcare professionals should inform patients of the possible implications of test results for themselves and their relatives, and should make clinical genetics referrals where appropriate.

This article details a cross-sectional survey that was undertaken to determine the level of awareness and understanding of Lynch syndrome among patients with endometrial cancer in the UK and to identify best practice and areas for improvement. Of the 144 eligible respondents, most were neither aware of Lynch syndrome before their cancer diagnosis nor that NICE recommends testing for the syndrome. Many respondents diagnosed with Lynch syndrome did not receive verbal or written information on the condition or referral to a clinical geneticist. This is necessary to increase patient uptake of testing and support them in sharing information with their relatives.

Cancer Nursing Practice. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2023.e1846

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@GOGirls2015

Correspondence

hilary.maxwell@dchft.nhs.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Maxwell HD, Pierce H (2023) Awareness and understanding of Lynch syndrome among patients with endometrial cancer. Cancer Nursing Practice. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2023.e1846

Published online: 25 September 2023

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